Machine for labeling circular articles



July 3, 1928.

w. B. BRONANDER MACHINE FOR LABELING CIRCULAR ARTICLES Filed July 2, 1927 VENTOR %M4M BY 3 W&1cw%

ATTORNEY ried in construction within the scope of the Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

WILHELM B. BBONA'NDER, 0F M ONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN MACHINE &; FOUNDRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR LABELING 'oIncULAR ARTICLES.

Application filed July 2,1927. Serial No. 203,062.

This invention relates to an improvement in a machine for labeling circular articles, such, for example, as the so-called Life- Saver confection. production of a device to be used connection with a wrapping machine, or independently, for applying a label to the circular article.circumferentially, after the article has been wrapped. With this and other ob jects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a device constructedin accordance within the invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively side elevation and plan view of the structure shown inFig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the ejecting arm of the structure shown in Figs. 1, 2 and ticle to wind the label thereon, and means for raisin said driving roller out of operative position to provide a fairway for incoming articles. In the best construct1ons contemplated, means'is' also provlded for moving one of the supporting rollers out of operatlve positionto' provide a fairway for outgoing articles and further means is provided for ejecting the articles through the outgoing fairway; a conveyor is provided for-receiving and transporting articles de- 'livered to it by the ejecting means, and a coacting retainer isalso provided for preventing displacement of the delivered articles on the conveyor.- All of the above mentioned means and parts may be widely va ,claims, for the specific strucftfire illustrating the invention is but one 0 many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The in vention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown .and described.

Referring to the drawings; A cylindrical Its main object, is the In carrying the mvention into effect, there article to be labeled, such, for example, as wrapped package "of Life-Savers", together with a label therefor, is deposited on and 1s supported by two supporting rollers 5' and 6 between two positioning devices 7 7 actuated by moving parts of the wrapping machine in connection with which the labeling device is used. The label and article are emplaced while a driving roller 8 is in its raised position or out of its operative position wherein it'bears down on and rotates the article to wind the label thereon. This raised position is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the driving roller is moved into it intermittently, once for each cycle of operation of the device.

The rollers 5 and 6, supporting the label and article, are loosel mounted on shafts 9 and 10 respectively. The shaft 9 is supported by arms 11, and a spur 12 on the shaft 9 prevents said shaft from turning. The shaft 10 is supported in the side walls 13 of the frame of the device and has a spur 14 to prevent it from turning.

The driving roller, which is preferably provided with a. rubber or other soft cover1ng, 1s mounted on a shaft 15 supported in a bearing 17 extending from a swinging gear housing 16 in which the shaft 15 car-v ries a spur gear 18 meshing with another spur gear 19 mounted on a shaft 20 and driven b a spur gear 21 loosely mounted on a sha t 22. The shaft 22 is carried by a bracket 23 and is clamped in the housing 16. A spur gear 24, mounted on a shaft 25, meshes withthe gear 21. On the shaft 25, which is supported in a bracket 26 fastened to the table 27, is also mounted a gear 28 engaging a gear-segment 29 mounted on a shaft- 30 supported in a bracket 31 attached to the table 27. The gear-segment 29 is rocked by a lever 32 also mountedfon the shaft 30. l I

The lever 32 is actuated by a cam roller 33 which is adjustably mounted on an arm 34 attached to a sprocket 35 driven by a chain 36, the roller 33 engaging a cam track 37 in the lever 32. This cam track has two depressions 38 and 39 which, being concentrio with the sprocket 35 when in their extreme positions corresponding to the ends of the stroke of the gear-segment 29, allow the cam roller 33 to pass along their entire curved lengths without moving the lever 32. They thus cause the driving roller 8 to make a complete stop when on top of the package A, both be ore the actual rolling begins and after the rolling is done.

While the positioning devices 77 are 10- cating an article on the rollers 5 and 6, the driving roller 8 and the housing 16 supporting it are in their raised position or out of operative position to provide a fairway for the *incoming article. Before an article reaches the supporting rollers 5 and 6, a label is positioned thereon and held in place tem orarily by means of a clamp 40.

The article, upon arrival on the rollers 5 and 6, presses the label B against them whileat the same time the housing 16, actuated by a cam-operated rod 41, moves downward until the driving roller 8 presses down on the article, and the paste roller 42 contacts with the label, depositing thereon a dab of paste. At this time, the driving roller begins to rotate and the label B which in the meantime has been released by the clamp 40 is pulled between the rollers and wound around the article.

The paste roller 42 is carried between tw pivot screws 43 placed in the arms of a lever 44 which swings on a shaft 45 supported by a bracket 46 attached to the bearing exten-' sion 17 of the housing 16. The lever 47, mounted on a shaft 45, carries a post 48 which is connected with a post 49 on the lever 44 by a spring 50, thereby normally keeping the latter lever pressed against a pin 51 in a lever 52 on the shaft 45, the pin 51 engaging a slot in one of the arms of the lever 44. In the raised position of the housing 16, the paste roller 42 contacts with a paste drum 53 in the usual manner. A

guard plate 55 is attached to the lever 44.

and prevents the roller 8 from being splashed by paste.

An angle 56 is aflixed to the extension 17 of the housing 16 and carries a hinge plate 57 having a pin 58 on which are mounted a lever 59 and a pair of fingers 60 having semi-circular shaped ends fitting the article A. The fingers 60 project into grooves provided in the driving roller,8 and in the su porting roller 6. A spring attached to t e end of the lever 59 presses the fingers 60 against the article, serving as a guide for the label and pressing its overlapped endstogether as the paste therebetween dries.

At the end of the label applying period, the ejecting arms 62, which are clamped on a shaft 63, are lifted up. The arms 62 have stationary fingers 63 and carry movable fingers 64 pivoted on studs 65, the fingers 63' and 64 projecting into grooves provided for this purpose in the supporting rollers 5 and 6. In the uppermost position of the arms 62, the movable fingers 64 are pressed against the bottoms of the grooves in the roller 6, Causing th t turn on the Stu studs 68 on the arm 62, press the fingers:

tightly about the labeled article. This gripping process is performed while the roller 8 is at rest, hence no displacement can occur.

The lever 69, mounted on a shaft 70, lifts the arms 62 by means of a link 71 pivoted to a crank arm 72 on the hub of the arms 62. While the arms '62 are raised, the levers 11 with the roller 5 are moved outward, thereby lifting a lever 73 mounted on the hinge pin 58. By raising this lever, the fingers 60 are released from the article which then is held only by the fingers 63' and 64 on the arms 62 now having a clear path to the pockets 74 of the conveyor by which the labeled articles are discharged from the device.

.The shaft 70 of the sprocket 75 driving the conveyor chain 76 has an intermittent motion imparted to it by a pawl arm 77 acthe arms 62 descen ing a short distance after the article has reached the pocket and thus causing the movable fingers 6,4 to press against the then stationary article, thereby turning the fingers.

Adjustable stop screws 81 carried by the bracket 31 constltute positive stops for the gear-segment 29 actuating the gear train of the driving roller 8, at both ends of its stroke. the carrying arm of-said gear-segment having a stop-lug 82 engaging the screws 81. The stop screws 81 take up the clearance existing at the centre of the cam track 37 owing to the depressions 38 and 39, and prevent displacement of the'label by positively stopping the movement ofthe driving roller 8 before and after the labeling period.

In view of the foregoing, a detailed description of the operation of the device is deemed unnecessary and is therefore omitted in the interest of brevity.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with two rollers su porting a label and a circular article to labeled, of a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the article to wind the label thereon, an arm in which said driving roller is mounted, gearing within said arm actuating said driving roller, and means for thereon,an arm in which said driving roller.

is mounted, cam-actuated gearing within sa1d arm actuating sa1d driving roller, and

means for raising said arm to move said driving roller out of operative position to provide a fairway for incoming articles.

3. The combination with two rollers supporting a label and a circular article to be labeled, of a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the article to wind the label thereon, means for intermittently actuating said driving roller, and means for intermittently raising said driving roller out of operative position to provide a fairway for in-- coming articles.

4. The combination withtwo rollers suprt-in a label and a'circular article to be labele of a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the article to wind the label thereon, means for raising said driving roller out of operative position to provide a fairway for incoming articles, and means carried by said raising means for applying paste to a label for the article.

5'. The combination with two rollers su portin a label and a circular article to e labeled of a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the article to wind'the label thereon, means for moving one of said supporting rollers out of operative position to provide a fairway for outgoing.-'art-icles, and means for ejecting labeled articles through said fairway.

6. The combination with two rollers su rtin a label and a circular article to provide a fairway forv outgoing articles, a conveyor, and means receiving articles from said rollers and delivering them to said conveyor.

8. The combination with two rollers su porting a label and a circular article to labeled, of a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the article to wind the label thereon, means for moving one of said supporting rollers out of operative position to provide a fairway for outgoing articles, a conveyor, and a swinging arm receivin articles from said rollers and delivering t em to said conveyor.

9. The combination with two rollers su porting a label and a circular article to e labeled, of a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the article to wind the label thereon, means for moving one of saidsupporting rollers out of operative position to provide a fairway for outgoing articles, a conveyor, means receiving articles fromsaid rollers and delivering them to said conveyor,

and a retainer for preventing displacement of articles delivered to said conveyor.

10. The combination with two rollers sunporting a label and a circular article to be labeled, of'a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the. article to wind the label thereon, means for moving one 'of said supporting rollers out of operative position to provide a fairway for outgoingarticles, 'a conveyor, a swinging arm receiving articles from said rollers and delivering them to said conveyor, and a single rod and operative connections actuating said conveyor, said arm, and the moving roller.

11. The combination with two rollers sup; porting a label and a circular article to a labeled, of a driving roller bearing down on and rotating the article to-wind the label thereon, means for moving one of said supporting rollers out of operative position to provide a fairway for outgoing articles, a conveyor, a swinging arm receiving articles from said rollers and delivering them to I said conveyor, a retainer for preventing displacement of articles delivered to said conveyor, and a single red and operative connections actuating the conveyor, the, arm, the moving roller, and the retainer.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.v

WILHELM B. BRONANDER. 

